EXCLUSIVE: A24 and Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures are teaming up for the first time on the upcoming film The Whale with Brendan Fraser set to star and Aronofsky on board to direct.

A24 will have worldwide rights. MacArthur winning playwright, Samuel D. Hunter (Greater Clements) will adapt the film based on his critically- acclaimed 2012 play of the same name. The production was praised by the New York Times and won the Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, GLAAD Media Award, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Play.

“Adapting my play into a screenplay has been a real labor of love for me,” said Hunter. “This story is deeply personal and I’m very thankful it will have the chance to reach a wider audience. I’ve been a fan of Darren’s ever since I saw Requiem for a Dream when I was a college freshman writing my first plays, and I’m so grateful that he’s bringing his singular talent and vision to this film.”


The film marks Aronofsky’s first film since his Paramount thriller Mother starring Jennifer Lawerence. Fraser was most recently seen in the FX limited series Trust.

Aronofsky is repped by CAA and Fraser is repped by Gersh and Brillstein Entertainment.

On the outskirts of Mormon Country, Idaho, a six-hundred-pound recluse hides away in his apartment and slowly eats himself to death. Desperate to reconnect with his long-estranged daughter, he reaches out to her, only to find a viciously sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen. Big-hearted and fiercely funny, The Whale tells the story of a man's last chance at redemption, and of finding beauty in the most unexpected places.

The physical demands of the stunts and maneuvers Fraser performed in his action and comedy roles eventually required him to undergo several surgeries over a period of seven years, including a partial knee replacement, a laminectomy, and vocal cord surgery.[57] He also badly injured his back when clearing a fallen tree after Hurricane Sandy (2012), requiring surgery and rehabilitation.[citation needed] Fraser alleged in 2018 that he was sexually assaulted by Philip Berk, the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, at a luncheon in the summer of 2003. The assault, his subsequent divorce, and the death of his mother launched Fraser into a depression that, combined with his health issues and a backlash within the industry over speaking out against Berk, caused his career to decline.[53][58]

From director Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, and Hong Chau. THE WHALE – Only In Theaters December 9.

RELEASE DATE: December 9, 2022
DIRECTOR: Darren Aronofsky
CAST: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, and Hong Chau